Page 76 of The Complication
“Sebastian and Byron?”
“Yeah, Byron offered.” I leaned in and added in a whisper. “I think Byron is testing out the idea of them having kids.”
“Well, tell him to borrowSebastian’s niece next time. They’re not allowed to test anything with our—your—I mean Joy. Sebastian has never even watched his niece on his own. They have no idea what they’re doing.” Declan’s face was turning red with every stammered and flustered word he said. It made me want to kiss him so badly, but I held back. There were things that needed to be done and said first.
Instead, I patted him on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I gave them detailed instructions about what to do and feeding. I also taught them to change the diaper.”
“But—”
“They have Franks on speed dial,” I added before he could argue further. Declan’s eyes widened as if he were surprised that I’d reached out to Franks about helping with Joy. But his body relaxed an instant later. “Franks and Donovan are on standby and ready to jump in if necessary.” It also didn’t hurt that Declan lived less than twenty minutes from Sebastian. They could be over to help in a flash.
“Okay,” Declan murmured and climbed into the passenger seat of my sedan.
Still holding on to the door, I leaned down so I could look him in the eye as I said, “You’ll see Joy soon. I thought it was important that we be able to talk, just the two of us tonight.”
Declan nodded, his expression clearing. “You’re right. Thank you.”
Feeling lighter, I hurried to the driver’s side and jumped in. We zipped away from Declan’s house and across town. I glanced at the clock on the dash and did some quick cooking math. Right now, I had about an hour to get this visit done and get us to my apartment so I could check on the roast and finish prepping the rest of dinner. Unless I hit some crazy traffic, everything would be fine.
The drive was quiet, but Declan wasn’t much for small talk, and that was fine with me. I broke the silence here and there with some stories about Joy or other weirdness I’d encountered in the last week without him. Actually, I did far more talking than I expected, but after seeing him every day for two months, I’d gotten used to telling him every tiny thing that crossed my mind.
“Tell me, honestly, do you think I talk too much?”
“No.” Declan’s answer was sharp and immediate. “Does it bother you that I don’t talk?”
“Nope. Never has. I know if you’ve got something important on your mind, you’ll tell me.” I glanced over at Declan out of the corner of my eye to see his frown deepen and heavy lines dart across his forehead. “What?”
“I think maybe I didn’t tell you enough of the important things.”
As I hit the turn signal, I bit my tongue to hold in my words and suppress my smile. I could guess at some things he probably wished he’d told me, but that could wait a little longer.
We turned into Spring Grove Cemetery on the west side of town, and Declan’s head snapped up. Tall oaks crowded the narrow road, their leaves changing from green to orange, yellow, and red. The car crawled along, passing endless rows of graves with a mix of simple headstones to elaborate edifices to the dead. In the distance, there was a white marble building with columns that looked as though it had been lifted out of Ancient Greece, while another spot held a mausoleum that reminded me of an old gothic cathedral straight out of Germany.
“Oh…Molly,” Declan murmured, sounding as if he were talking to himself as he relaxed in his chair.
“Good guess.” It took us five minutes of winding through the enormous graveyard to reach a stretch of ground that had been cleared in the past few years. Fewer trees marked this area, and those that were here stretched only five or six feet into the air, saplings still learning their lifelong sentry duty for the dead.
I pulled to the side of theroad and turned off the engine. When I looked at Declan and smiled, I could feel that my grin had become a little crooked and frail. “I just heard from Molly’s parents that her headstone was installed a few days ago. I promised them I would visit and send them a picture.”
“Of course. I’m surprised they didn’t want her to be buried closer to them.”
“They did, but they also knew it was my plan to stay here to raise Joy. I think they wanted Molly to be close to her daughter.”
We got out of the car, and I waited for Declan to walk around to me so I could thread his fingers with mine. With him at my side, my heart didn’t feel so heavy as I strolled across the grass that was turning green again after the hot, dry summer. This was the first time I’d been to Molly’s grave since the funeral. I’d meant to come back, but it had slipped my mind as more things had happened.
Molly’s headstone was a simple pale-gray granite stone with deeply carved black lettering. There was no additional adornment like a picture, but I liked that her parents had put on there “Beloved daughter, mother, and friend,” because she really was.
“I know, I know. I should have come sooner,” I said by way of greeting. My fingers tightened on Declan’s hand, while my eyes remained locked on her new headstone. “But I knew I was going to talk to you, and it’s easier to talk to your headstone than it is to talk to the dirt. Call me crazy. And I’m sorry I didn’t bring Joy. I promise I’ll bring her in a couple of weeks. You’re going to love seeing her. She’s gotten so big and sassy. Just like her mom. Oh! I’ll put her in her Halloween costume. You’ll love it.” My voice caught on those last two words and the lump that seemed to form in my throat whenever I thought about her returned.
Declan lifted our joined hands and pressed a sweet kiss to my fingers, silently reassuring me.
After a deep breath and clearing my throat, I could continue. “Today, I’m here because there’s someone I need to introduce you to. This…is Declan Foster.” I threw up a hand, as if trying to halt traffic. “Stop. I can imagine what you’re going to say about his hotness and if you continue, they’ll kick you out of heaven.”
“Really?” Declan murmured, and I smiled at him as I dropped my hand to my side.
“Yeah, she had a filthy mouth. It terrified me to think what Joy’s first words were going to be with her as a mom.”
“I worry about that with you sometimes,” he teased.
